


Through the Dark

by Sky_Astor



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 13:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4021405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_Astor/pseuds/Sky_Astor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara wakes up completely stunned, unaware of her surroundings, unable to move. Will she be saved?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Footsteps

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of Through the Dark. The idea came to me while I was listening to dark sad instrumental music.

Clara started regaining her consciousness. She was lying on her back and wanted to move – except she couldn’t.  Her muscles didn’t obey her. She heard footsteps - light footsteps. Someone was walking around her. ’ _Help me’_ was on the tip of her tongue, but her lips refused to let it out. The sound of the steps slowly ceased. She was frightened of what was going to happen. Somebody’s fingers touched the tips of hers, which sent a shiver through her body. She was completely stupefied and almost couldn’t feel it. She thought… She hoped that the person would help her. Nothing happened. Nothing – only fingers of a foreigner touched hers. She was at the mercy of someone she couldn’t even see. The only thing she knew was that it wasn’t the Doctor. He would not walk around her like this, play with her… Her blocked ears caught a fading sound – it sounded like a hum. She couldn’t understand the words, but she could swear that the last word sounded like her name. Footsteps again – receding.  Then there was silence.

She remained lying there for a couple of minutes.  Despite being afraid she tried to open her eyes – her eyelids were so heavy. She tried again. Her sight was blurry – her eyes saw dark shadows that resembled lines – thick and lean lines. She blinked, but it didn’t help much. She started to be desperate. She rolled over on her belly and she supported herself with her hands. An ache embraced her head immediately.  She got on her knees and her pupils finally managed to focus on her surroundings.

 She was in a forest at the darkest of nights. It was full moon and everything was illuminated. Her scared eyes saw the haunting shadows of the dead trees which had no leaves. They were tall and the tips of their long branches were swinging in the breeze – threatening her. She looked at the moon and knew right away she was not on Earth – the celestial object in the sky she was looking at was so much bigger than the natural satellite of her home planet. Clara had no idea where she was or where to go. She was alone, cold and her numb body didn’t allow her much fast movement and this place gave her the creeps.  How did she get here? Her last memory was of being together with the Doctor in the TARDIS. Where was _he_ now? Her fear was quickly joined with the worries about her Time Lord she could not live without. She’d tried it once – it did not work. Never again could she live without him. She could not remember how she got into the forest, but some part inside her knew that he was there too.

She got up and looked around. Everything looked the same – the same trees hiding in the dark, surrounded by a light fog. The ground was damp and knobbly. She was grateful for the big ‘moon’ of which the light fought its way through the branches of the trees. She tried to walk - limped at first, but after a few steps it got better. He was on her mind and she could feel the lump in her throat. Hoping she would find him safe and sound, she wandered through that haunting, foggy forest at night.


	2. Show Me the Light

There was no sight of the Doctor. No sight of anyone. Only fear and the crackling sound under her feet accompanied her. The trees creaked every now and then in cold breeze, chatted with each other. Her tired legs carried her aching body about a half an hour. Maybe more, maybe less – she couldn’t really tell.

Suddenly she heard a strong crack that came from behind.

Her feet stopped on the spot and her eyes fell shut - ‘ _this is it’_ , she thought. She didn’t dare to turn around. The crackling sound was coming closer and it closer until it stopped. Her body was trembling with horror.

“Clara.”

A familiar voice embraced her ears – _his_ voice. She turned around and found the Doctor leaning against a tree, wearing only his white shirt and waistcoat. Hair tousled, clothes torn. He collapsed to the ground, but managed to sit back against a tree.  Clara, forgetting her own pain, hurried immediately to him as he held his hand out. She knelt down and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t protest. Not this time.

He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tight like if he hadn’t seen her  for hundreds of years.

“Doctor, are you alright? What’s happened to you?” she asked misty-eyed.

“It was her,” his voice was gruff.

She had an idea whom he might have meant, but that wasn’t possible, was it?

“Whom?”

“Missy – she’s back. She wants to take you away from me. The TARDIS went wild and we crashed – Missy was probably behind this. Don’t you remember?” he looked at her with his glistening eyes.

“How can she…? I - I don’t remember, no.”

Her premonition was right and she wished it wasn’t because it scared her to death. How did Missy come back anyway? She was supposed to be death! The Doctor interrupted her thoughts:

“When I woke up here in this forest and you weren’t with me, I thought… I thought…” his voice was brittle as he shook his head.

He couldn’t finish that sentence and Clara knew the end of it anyway. It broke her heart to see him so vulnerable, so broken. She moved a little closer and allowed herself to sit in his lap. Her hands gently cupped his face and she caressed his cheek with her thumbs. His skin burned under her touch.

“I thought the same about you,” she said softly.  He looked up to her and his misty eyes found hers.

“Don’t worry, my Doctor, I’m here,” her lips whispered and she kissed him gently. It was just a brief kiss, but it was enough to make his hearts skip a beat a two. Her lips tasted like apples – he loved apples.

She was fully aware that this wasn’t the best way (if at all a way) to calm him down. However, she knew it was a way to pull him out of the horror scenarios that were playing in his head. And it was a way to confess the feelings she’d been keeping inside for so long. Finally, being so close to him, feeling his lips on hers made her heart throb fast.

When she pulled away, her head stayed close to his and she nuzzled his nose. He kept his eyes closed and smiled a little as a tear-drop ran down his cheek.

“My Clara,” he opened his eyes. They seemed even bluer in the moonlight to her. “I love you too,” she whispered and wiped the little tear-drop away.

He just gazed at her lovingly. He was nervous and the insides of his stomach felt like they were fluttering. His head moved a little closer to hers; he waited for approval and brushed his lips against her again. He rested his head on her shoulder and she ran her fingers through his grey locks, which sent pleasant warmth through his body.

“You’re freezing, Clara,” he rubbed her back, “We’ve got to find the TARDIS. It’s not safe here.”

She placed a kiss in his fluffy hair and he smiled against her shoulder.

“Yeah, right. Do you know where she is?” she whispered.

“I’ve got a signal on my sonic – she shouldn’t be far,” he murmured.

They had stayed like this for a while. He didn’t want to stand up and neither did she, but they both knew they couldn’t sit like this forever in the middle of an alien forest at night.

“We’ve got to go – I wouldn’t be surprised if Missy paid us a visit here,” he uttered and looked around.

Clara contemplated whether to tell him about the thing that had happened to her – she didn’t want to upset him even more than he already was; yet she decided to tell him… No more lies, no more secrets.

“Well, when I woke up, there was someone,” she explained.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t fully conscious. All I know that he or she touched my left hand and when I got up later no one was there. Then I went looking for you.”

He took her hand in his and examined it thoroughly.

“It was just a touch, Doctor,” she assured him with a smile.

He looked her in the eye and kissed her hand.

“Yes it was - this time. She’s just showing off her powers. She’s only given us a glimpse of what she can do,” he spoke in a low voice, “And she’s shown me that she’s able to take you away from right under my nose.”

“Doctor…”

He was frowning at the ground. “You could have been dead by now,” he whispered gravelly. The thought of it made him sick.

“But I’m not dead. I’m right here – in front of you,” she stated. “If she, as you said, had wanted to take me away from you, she would have done so.  Don’t you think?”

He stared at her a moment and pondered of what she’s just said.

“There… is something to it… yes. What are you trying to say?” he asked quietly.

“Maybe she’s trying to tell you something.”

He smirked and looked at the ground, then back at her. “And what would that be?”

“I…” she paused, “Don’t know.”

“Look, the only thing she is trying to tell me is that she is capable of anything that crosses her crazy mind. She can do anything she wants - with you, with me and everyone else. She’s just playing another game.”

Clara thought about what he had just said… Childhood friend or not – he knows her.

“Yeah… you’re probably right,” she agreed quietly.

He walked over to her and stopped only inches away.

“Clara, I can’t afford to lose in her game – to lose _you,_ ” he whispered nervously.

She smiled and hugged him gently, resting her head on his chest.

“You won’t,” she replied.

They stood there like this for a couple of moments, almost forgetting where they were.

When she let go, she took his hand and they started following the signal on his sonic screwdriver. Despite being with the Doctor, she still was a little afraid. So was he, but he wouldn’t admit it, of course. She forgot the pain in her muscles as they went through the forest. The cold and biting wind was howling, accompanied by the creaking trees and crackling sound under their tired feet.

*****

She’d never been happier to see the TARDIS. The blue box was wrapped up in the thickening fog, hiding between the tree trunks. They got in and the blue box welcomed them with a little hum. The Doctor let her hand go as she sat down in the chair next to the console where he switched the main lever to take off. He disappeared in a room for a moment to change his torn clothes and came back dressed in a new pair of trousers and his holey jumper. He scuttled right to her chair.

“Are you alright?” He examined her body with his piercing eyes.

“I think so. I’m just very tired and a feel a mild pain… in my whole body. Do you have any special alien pills for that?” she asked jokingly.

“Even better – I’ve got whole room for making you better. A special healing room - the TARDIS changed it into a bedroom for you – you’ll just lie down and she’ll heal you,” he replied happily.

“Oh, thank you, that’s nice, but I thought you’ll drop me off in my bedroom,” she said a little confused.

He smirked a waved his hand, “Forget it, you’re staying here. I’m not letting you alone after this disaster – not now,” his spoke in a serious tone.

Clara gave him a bright smile and he frowned at her because it confused him. Before he could ask, she shook her head a stood up. His sudden overprotectiveness was the cause of her amusement. She took his hand and squeezed it gently, which made him relax again.

“If you insist,” she teased him a little and started walking the stairs up to the little balcony.

He really did insist.

He smiled to himself and followed her up. The blue time machine made an approving sound when he led her to her room. The walls were dark blue and covered with round things that could be found it the console room. They were slowly changing colours and lightly illuminated the largely dark room. There were nightclothes on her bed and the Doctor waited outside until she put them on. He came back when she called. She was lying in the comfy bed and asked him if he would stay with her. _‘If you wish, of course’,_ was his answer. He kicked his shoes off and lied down next to her. Clara snuggled close to him, so they were at eye level. He was slowly losing himself in her magnificent brown eyes, but she interrupted him with a soft kiss and smiled at him.

“Where are we, Doctor?” she asked curiously.

“TARDIS, bedroom.”

He was thrown off the balance a bit, which made her giggle.

“Oh,” he blushed and smiled shyly.

“The TARDIS is in a fiery pit of a volcano” he uttered.

“Is it safe?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s a good hiding place - surely better than just floating through space.”

“Okay, if you say so,” she placed her hand on his chest a stoked the soft fabric of his jumper.

Her smile made his hearts flutter and he wanted her to kiss him again. Being nervous unsure, he wrapped his arm around Clara and pulled her a little closer to him. Her hand moved to his face and brushed her thumb over his lips. Then she leaned in and pulled him into a soft and gentle kiss. Her body was pressed against his and she felt, almost heard, the pounding of his hearts. She ran her fingers through his fluffy hair and felt a shiver that shot through his body.

He wasn’t the ‘hugging type’, but he adored when _Clara_ touched him… and now even kissed him; he just always got a little confused.

The kiss lasted for a couple of moments. When they parted, she bit her lower lip and blushed slightly, but he didn’t notice because of the weak light provided by the round thing.

“You should sleep, my love,” left his swollen lips that curled into a smile, “Doctor’s orders.”

“Of course,” she whispered, kissed his fierce eyebrow and tucked her head under his chin.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he murmured into her soft brown hair, “Good night, my love.”

“Good night,” she smiled into his chest.

His sweet scent and the melodic beating of his hearts carried her into the world of dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
